A MONOGRAPH OF THE EXISTING CRINOIDS 411 



Geographical range. — From off the Clarence River in northeastern New South 

 Wales southward and westward to Port Phillip, Victoria. 



Bathymetrical range. — From the shore line down to 86 (?110) meters. 



Hwtory. — In 1843, the Rev. C. Pleydell N. Wilton, of Newcastle, New South 

 Wales, published the following accoimt of a "new species of encrinite" that he called 

 Encrinus Australis: 



The Encrinus Australis has no vertebral column, but its body, which is about '/t of an inch, is 

 terminated in that direction by a circular base; the circumference of the body being indented by 

 three rows of irregularly shaped hollow sections, each furnished with a circular orifice, to which 

 the several tentacula of about 80 joints, and curving inwards towards their extremities, are ap- 

 pended, and by which the animal attaches itself to the sea-weed, which adheres to the bottom of 

 the water-hole in the rock. To the opposite extremity of its body, which is always uppermost in 

 the water, are attached five clavicles. Upon removing these from the body, its inferior surface 

 presents a star of five points, each point being sot in the angle formed by the two approaching .seg- 

 ments of a circle, ou which each of the clavicles reposed. Within this star is another star, also of 

 five points. To each of these clavicles are attached two scapulae, into each of which the first two 

 bones of the animal are inserted. On each of these is another scapula, from w Inch proceed two arms. 

 To two opposite sides of every alternate articulation of these arms, which gradually diminish in 

 size to the extremity, are attached fingers, gradually tapering to a point, formed of several joints, 

 which appear to vary in number according to the size and age of the specimen. In one of these I 

 have counted twenty. Each of the joints of the arms is of a circular figure, with an oval orifice in 

 the centre, from which proceed radii to the circumference. With its fingers, which the animal can 

 either extend or contract at pleasure, either in a lateral or perpendicular direction, and which all 

 curve outwards, the Encrinus Australis presents an appearance under the water of that species 

 of lily called the Turk's cap, and of a beautiful lilac colour. 



In 1845 the journal "L'Institut" published the following r6simi6 of this article: 



Une espfeee nouvelle d'Encrine vivante a 6t6 decouverte par le r^v^rend C. Pleydell k Newcastle 

 sur la rivifere Hunter, dans la Nouvelle Hollande; I'auteur propose de lui donner le nom d' Encrinus 

 australis. EUe n'a pas de colonne vert^brale, mais le corps de I'aninial a environ un cinqui^me de 

 pouce de long, et est terminfi dans cette direction par une base circulaire. A I'e.'itr^mit^ oppose du 

 corps sont attach^ cinq appendices claviculaire, etc. M. Pleydell a essayS souvent de recueillir 

 avec beaucoup de soin des ^chantillons complite de cet animal pour les envoyer en Europe; mais, 

 apr^s sa mort, les articulations ne tardent pas a s'en disjoindre et J, tomber en pieces. La decouverte 

 de M. Pleydell est d'autant plus interressant que jusqu'^ present on n'a encore rencontre que tr6s 

 rarement des 6chantillons un peu complets d'Encrines vivants, et encore le nombre des esp^ces en 

 est-il trfes limits. On salt d'autre part combion sont nombreux ces aiiimaux a I'^tat fossile dans 

 presquc la s^rie des terrains stratifies, jusque pedt-fitre dans les terrains tertiare, si Ton ajoute foi 

 aux derniferes decouvertcs faitos a ce sujet dans les terrains subapennins. 



The original description was completely overlooked. There was no clue to its 

 location in the r6sum6 in "L'Institut," and the erroneous citation of the author's 

 name made it difficult to trace. Dr. P. 11. Carpenter called attention to the r^sum^ 

 in 1884, with the annotation "Is this a crinoid at all?" I again called attention to it 

 in 1911 saying "This organism could not have been a Crinoid; what it was has re- 

 mained, so far as literature is concerned, a mysterj'." 



My notice came under the eye of Dr. Robert Etheridge, Jr., the Director of the 

 Australian Museum at Sydney. He wrote that — 



Whilst reading the proofs of this Memoir, I felt convinced I had, in previous years, somewhere 

 seen another reference to this "Encrinite," but could not, for the time being, remember where. 

 By pure accident, on looking through some old memoranda, 1 came upon the original reference. The 

 clergyman referred to was the Rev. "C. Pleydell N. Wilton," of Newcastle, and his paper, under the 

 title of — "On a New Species of Encrinite (Encrinus Australis)," and of which the notice in "L'Institut" 



